The
Paso Robles Rotary Club had a dream of developing
and promoting a community museum to preserve
the special heritage of the area around Paso Robles,
California. The El Paso de Robles Area Pioneer Museum
was incorporated on September 17, 1971. The first
building, erected in 1975, housed farm
equipment and local modes of transportation.

Not to
be outdone by the Rotary Club, in 1978 the
Kiwanis Club also became involved and, under the
leadership of Program Chairman Dr. B.R. Bryant,
became the agency primarily responsible for the
construction of another building and maintenance
of the facility.

In
1986 an 85-ton oil pump was added
in a separate building on the grounds. The pump
had been used for 76 years to pump crude oil from
the San Joaquin Valley to Estero Bay.
The Paso Robles Lions Club was instrumental in getting
the Jeanesville Pump Museum project completed.

In
2004 the Geneseo schoolhouse, built in 1886, was
donated to the Pioneer Museum by the family of the
late Linden Chandler. The schoolhouse was moved
from the Creston area to the museum grounds.
In order to get the structure under trees and power
lines en route, the roof was removed and hauled
separately. Volunteers spent many hours preparing
the ground, re-attaching the roof, building steps,
constructing a handicapped ramp, painting, etc.